Lent – Day 6

You Need to Be Healed for Christ’s Sake

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

“For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hebrews 10:14

The beautiful delicately-etched drinking glass drops as if in slow motion. It can’t be grasped, so it shatters into jagged pieces as it hits the floor. The sound is final.

Some things in life can’t be glued back together — at least, not easily. Sin, which violates God’s law 1 John 3:4 and nature Romans 8:4, ravages our souls and makes them one of those things. Apart from Christ, in our sin, we’re lost in darkness and separated from God in ways that we can’t do anything about. Sin leads to death, as it fatally wounds the spirit and soul.

But God has a plan for people broken by sin. He longs to heal us. Jesus took all of your wrongdoing on Himself at the cross. The purpose of Christ’s sacrificial death, His death in your place, was to deal with your sin. Christ’s wounds heal yours when you place your faith and trust in Him to forgive you.

The sacrifice of Christ makes you right with God and brings you into a relationship with Him. It gives you a clean conscience, which brings peace with God. Because of it, you can have assurance of salvation, meaning you never have to wonder whether you can be saved. You can have the permanent gift of eternal life.

In these ways, the person who believes is perfected. To be perfected in Christ means that, while sin does remain, its penalty and power — what keeps you from God — is removed by His sacrifice. Jesus made you perfect and holy in God’s sight through His death on the cross, paying the cost for your sins.

Reflect

Take time to reflect on what Christ has done on the cross for you. If you’ve never heard of Christ’s sacrifice for you, learn more here. God offers you an opportunity to be whole. Thank Him that He takes on your brokenness and binds up your wounds because He loves you.